Ramsey Naja is chief creative officer, JWT MENA
“There are times when I feel I really would like to relocate to Ulan Bator, Mongolia. That’s assuming, of course, that Ulan Bator, Mongolia, sticks to its stereotype of being inaccessible and remains happily disconnected from all shiny things beginning with a vowel. You see, when you have finished packing your iBook, iPad or iPhone and wonder where is your BlackBerry, you know there’s something wrong with your life. Add to that the result of a day spent discussing the must-have apps, must-visit websites, must-connect-to social media forums and all the wwws you really can’t live without, and you reach a point where your mind yearns for something like agriculture.
The funny thing is, I don’t seem to be the only person wishing to move to Ulan Bator. With every new whatsit that’s catching on like wildfire in consumers’ lives, there is an advertising professional who is contacting the Mongolian tourism office. It is, of course, normal for an industry that seeks to understand everything a very large array of consumers are up to in their spare time. The problem with it is, quite apart from inflating the Mongolian national carrier’s (called MIAT – yes, I looked it up) business figures, is that this is sending us back up to the higher floors of the ivory tower.
What many of us are failing to remember is that every e-connected consumer lives two lives at the same time. His or her virtual self – which is generally far more attractive than its real counterpart – simply consumes the digital products strictly relevant to their lifestyle, in addition of course to the things that are not normally accessible to them in real life. And therein lies the rub: with virtual experiences available for almost anything we can imagine – and quite easily – what is left is the arena outside i-this and e-that: it is that of adrenaline thrills or playground fun; of exhilarating discovery or physical achievement. This is my metaphorical Ulan Bator, Mongolia: a place that enriches my real world self. A place where the dominant app is iGetalife.”